Boqueria
"Boqueria captures the soul of Spanish cuisine." --James Beard Award-winning chef and cookbook author Alfred Portale
For over a decade New York City's famed Boqueria restaurants have been distilling the energy, atmosphere, and flavors of Barcelona, becoming a place where patrons share excellent wine and exquisite dishes. From traditional tapas like crispy patatas bravas and bacon-wrapped dates to classic favorites like garlicky sautéed shrimp, pork meatballs, and saffron-spiced seafood paella, Boqueria captures the very best of Spanish cuisine.
For this sumptuous cookbook, restaurateur Yann de Rochefort and Executive Chef Marc Vidal tell the story of Boqueria, which has now spread to four New York City locations as well as to Washington, D.C. While the recipes--all deeply rooted in Barcelona's culinary culture--take center stage with phenomenal food photography, Boqueria also swings open the kitchen doors to reveal the bustling life of the restaurant, and offers exciting glimpses of the locales that inspire it: the bars, markets, and cervezerias of Barcelona. Transporting us to the busy, colorful stalls of legendary fresh market "La Boqueria," these portraits of the Spanish city are so vibrant that you can almost smell the Mediterranean's salt air.
Boqueria's recipes are delectable variations on authentic Barcelona fare, but more than that; along with their origin stories, these recipes inspire a bit of the Boqueria experience--the cooking, the conversations, and the connections--in your own home.
Marc Vidal's experience at his family's Barcelona restaurant inspired him to attend the Escola de Restauración at age sixteen. He joined Boqueria in 2010 as Executive Chef.
Yann de Rochefort, a former marketing executive, created Boqueria to pay homage to Barcelona's dining scene after having studied and lived in Spain.
Zack Bezunartea started his restaurant career at age ten flipping burgers at his parents' snack bar in New Mexico. He is Director of Operations for all the Boqueria restaurants.